Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt drew attention for his dismissive take on Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy ahead of last Sunday’s loss to Kansas City and it doesn’t sound like he’s much more impressed by the first-round pick he’ll be facing this week.
Taylor-Britt and the Bengals will face the Commanders on Monday night and Taylor-Britt shared his scouting report on quarterback Jayden Daniels while talking to reporters on Thursday. Taylor-Britt said that he thinks the Commanders are only asking Daniels to take care of the basics.
“They don’t make him do a lot,” Taylor-Britt said, via Olivia Ray of WLWT. “They keep it really simple for him. Nice college offense, [Kliff] Kingsbury, the OC. They move guys around here and there, but just keep it real simple for him. I heard his pass percentage is very high, but he’s only throwing short routes. Some intermediate stuff, quick throws.”
Worthy didn’t make Taylor-Britt pay for anything he said last week, but Rashee Rice did beat him for a touchdown. Taylor-Britt rebounded with a highlight reel interception of Patrick Mahomes and the Bengals will be hoping for something similar against Daniels as they try for their first win of the season.
There are two 0-2 teams in the AFC North and they have very different levels of familiarity with being in that position.
The Ravens lost their first two games of a season for the first time since 2015 while the Bengals are 0-2 for the fourth time in five seasons with quarterback Joe Burrow on the roster. That run includes the 2022 season, which ended with a trip to the AFC Championship Game, and a history of bouncing back in strong fashion was on Burrow’s mind when he spoke to reporters about his mindset going into a Week Three game against the Commanders.
“I wouldn’t say I’m frustrated right now. I was frustrated on Sunday,” Burrow said, via the team’s website. “We’ve got to focus on getting better every day through our practice, and go out and execute when we have to execute on Monday, the rest will take care of itself. We’re in a fine spot. We’ve been here before. We’re not panicking. We’re focused on getting a win and getting better every day.”
After facing the Commander, the Bengals have a trip to face the Panthers so the schedule provides them with the chance for a quick turnaround from their stumbles in the first two weeks of the season. Anything other than that will make it harder to avoid the panic that Burrow is keeping at bay in Week Three.
Bengals receiver Tee Higgins was officially limited in his return to practice.
Higgins has been sidelined by a hamstring injury suffered during the practice week before the season opener. Head coach Zac Taylor said earlier on Thursday that the Bengals would “see where it goes” after getting Higgins back on the field.
Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (hamstring), defensive tackle B.J. Hill (hamstring), and tight end Tanner Hudson (knee) all did not practice.
Safety Vonn Bell (back), tight end Mike Gesicki (calf), defensive tackle Kris Jenkins (thumb), and offensive tackle Amarius Mims (pectoral) were all limited.
Quarterback Joe Burrow (right wrist) remains on the injury report as a full participant.
There is some positive news on the injury front with the Bengals.
Head coach Zac Taylor said on Thursday that Tee Higgins will practice on Thursday. It’s the first time Higgins will participate in a session since Thursday of Week 1, when his hamstring issue popped up.
Taylor said the team will “see where it goes” after Higgins gets back on the field. He added there’s nothing special he wants to see from Higgins before the receiver plays, they just want to “make sure he’s healthy.”
But getting Higgins in games should provide a significant boost for Cincinnati’s offense.
“Tee is — just as simple as he’s a top player in this league,” Taylor said. “So, that makes every personnel grouping better when he’s in there. So, him and Ja’Marr, obviously two guys that draw a lot of attention singularly. So when you have them on the field together, it’s certainly good assets to have.”
Higgins missed five games due to injury last year, finishing with 42 catches for 656 yards with five touchdowns.
Additionally, Taylor said defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins and defensive tackle BJ Hill are day-to-day, but aren’t slated to practice on Thursday.
However, defensive tackle Kris Jenkins (thumb) will return to the field for practice.
Cincinnati’s first injury report of the week will be released later on Thursday.
Statisticians credited Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones with a half sack of Joe Burrow on Sunday, giving him 1.5 for the season.
But after further review, the Elias Sports Bureau awarded George Karlaftis with a full sack on the play.
“This is some bs,” Jones sarcastically wrote on social media in response to the post from Tom Pelissero of NFL Media about the change.
Jones later allowed, “lol george agreed to treat me to dinner… im good now.”
Karlaftis’ first sack of the season came on a second quarter play, with the Bengals facing a third-and-10 at the Kansas City 12. Karlaftis’ 3-yard sack held Cincinnati to a field goal.
The Chiefs won 26-25 on a last-play field goal.
